H/A vs. C/I

[jag]

Well sometimes, someone who is an ambigious canidate may have severe tintitas or recruitment. CI implantation can help with those types of problems.....and that's a good thing. I however, really do think that many ambigious canidates should first experiment with a whole bunch of different types of hearing aids.
Folks who would be "right off the bat" canidates for CI, should definitly not encounter any hassle. However, there is somewhat of a "vibe" that the CI is basicly the latest greatest hearing technology, almost exactly like what they were doing with digital aids about ten years ago. Some people really have fallen for the hype about CI. I really honestly think that with the fact that hearing aid response is so indidual, that ambigious canidates should go through an intensive "hearing aid" clinic, to totally insure that there isn't a really good hearing aid, that might be as good as a CI.
I also think they should tighten up implantation requirement criteria at the various and sundry implant clinics. Some people are almost doing the "designer health care route to try to qualify for CI.

Having been an 'ambiguous' candidate I'm happy that I did not have to rely on your 'insight' when going the CI testing route.

Why should a person with severe/profound loss continue to struggle with different amplification products when one has a better chance at clarity of speech with a CI? If you want to go through use of a half/dozen different products in the hopes that you'll avoid surgery fine, but I don't. I 'should' have gotten great results with the HA's I purchased a year before I went the implant route.

And I (and many others I'm sure) did NOT get the CI because it was the latest greatest hearing technology (I see you seem to have dropped the trendy part of your statement, lol) I got it because Ha's were inadequet for what I wanted them for.

I'm happy that I had the chance to get the ci I wish more would be able to enjoy the chance and results I've gotten. And I still do have hearing in my implanted ear.

 

[rick48]

However, there is somewhat of a "vibe" that the CI is basicly the latest greatest hearing technology, almost exactly like what they were doing with digital aids about ten years ago. Some people really have fallen for the hype about CI.

What on earth are you talking about? The ci has been around for almost a quarter of a century and there are over 100,000 ci recipients. Instead of spreading misguided opinions why not listen to what people like jag are telling you. I too, am glad that we did not rely upon your "insight" when making the ci decision for our child.

I still amazes me that there are people like you who think it is preferable for a child or anyone else who is profoundly deaf and does not benefit from hearing aids to daily struggle through life with hearing aids.

 

[Adam]

I realy didn't mean to start anything. I am just trying to gather some info. If I had known this was a touchy subject, it wouldn't have been my first post.

Adam

 

[Silencio]

No apologies necessary

Adam, unfortunately this site is infested with anti-CI trolls spreading all manner of misinformation. Personally, I've found posting on this site to be pretty much useless. I have a CI and have been through the hearing aid wars for 20+ years. PM me if you want to hear my two cents.

 

[Adam]

I just tried to email you but it said you don't wish to recieve emails.

 

[jillio]

I realy didn't mean to start anything. I am just trying to gather some info. If I had known this was a touchy subject, it wouldn't have been my first post.

Adam

Any site you go to where Deaf/deaf people are actually involved, you will find both postive and negative opinions of CI. This site is not infested with anti-CI trolls. This site does, however, have many members, both with CI and without, that are able to see both pros and cons of implantation, as well as the implications psychosocially, linguistically, and educationally, of implantation. Then we have the few that refuse to admit that there is a con side to the argument, and whenever it is mentioned, throw out unfounded allegations of anti-CI troll infestation. If it is information you are looking for, it is best you receive both pros and cons in order to develop a balanced and reasonable opinion yourself. One cannot be truly informed without weighing both pros and cons on any subject. And keep in mind, when a negative point is addressed through these silly allegations of "Anti-CI", it is usually because it is the only way they can address the point, which simply serves to validate it.

 

[TechBill]

Well sometimes, someone who is an ambigious canidate may have severe tintitas or recruitment. CI implantation can help with those types of problems.....and that's a good thing. I however, really do think that many ambigious canidates should first experiment with a whole bunch of different types of hearing aids.
Folks who would be "right off the bat" canidates for CI, should definitly not encounter any hassle. However, there is somewhat of a "vibe" that the CI is basicly the latest greatest hearing technology, almost exactly like what they were doing with digital aids about ten years ago. Some people really have fallen for the hype about CI. I really honestly think that with the fact that hearing aid response is so indidual, that ambigious canidates should go through an intensive "hearing aid" clinic, to totally insure that there isn't a really good hearing aid, that might be as good as a CI.
I also think they should tighten up implantation requirement criteria at the various and sundry implant clinics. Some people are almost doing the "designer health care route to try to qualify for CI.

What are the "hype" your speaking of?


.

 

[Silencio]

Private Message not Email

Adam, I can't give out my email address here because I don't want to be spammed, flamed, etc. Use this website's private message feature to contact me.

 

[shel90]

Adam, unfortunately this site is infested with anti-CI trolls spreading all manner of misinformation. Personally, I've found posting on this site to be pretty much useless. I have a CI and have been through the hearing aid wars for 20+ years. PM me if you want to hear my two cents.

:roll: not everyone here is being anti-CI .

If someone is spreading false info, simply just correct that person directly. It becomes more complicated when u accuse many people of being anti-CI for no reason.

 

[deafdyke]

jag,
The simple fact is that hearing aid response is VERY indivdual. Some ambigious canidates might fare just as well with a different kind/ newer model of HA. Saying that, doesn't mean that I'm anti-CI. It just means that I think that experimenting with different hearing aids might be worth it for some people. If the CIer vs HAers were posting about digital aids, my response to them would be the same.....it's worth it to experiment! That's just my point. ANY audi will tell you that HA response is very very indivdual.
I mean your own experiance illsutrates that very well. There are severe and profounders who are excellent HA users, while you didn't get that much out of HA. All I'm saying is that I think that for SOME ambigious canidates, it might be worth it to try a different HA. That's not being anti-CI.

 

[Silencio]

Sorry

:roll: not everyone here is being anti-CI .

If someone is spreading false info, simply just correct that person directly. It becomes more complicated when u accuse many people of being anti-CI for no reason.

Sorry, no can do. Last time I tried my post was deleted, the site administrators assessed me something called an "infraction" for correcting a person directly and threatened to ban me from the site if I ever do it again. I thought I might try reaching out to Adam privately, but it looks like some of you object to even that.

 

[shel90]

jag,
The simple fact is that hearing aid response is VERY indivdual. Some ambigious canidates might fare just as well with a different kind/ newer model of HA. Saying that, doesn't mean that I'm anti-CI. It just means that I think that experimenting with different hearing aids might be worth it for some people. If the CIer vs HAers were posting about digital aids, my response to them would be the same.....it's worth it to experiment! That's just my point. ANY audi will tell you that HA response is very very indivdual.
I mean your own experiance illsutrates that very well. There are severe and profounders who are excellent HA users, while you didn't get that much out of HA. All I'm saying is that I think that for SOME ambigious canidates, it might be worth it to try a different HA. That's not being anti-CI.

I agree with you. I am going to experiment with digital hearing aids and I am sure they would work better than the regular ones. If they dont then I will stick with the ones I have no. I dont need a CI despite being severely profoundly deaf in both ears. Maybe the CI would work better for me but I am happy with my HAs so why go thru surgery.

 

[Boult]

I agree with you. I am going to experiment with digital hearing aids and I am sure they would work better than the regular ones. If they dont then I will stick with the ones I have no. I dont need a CI despite being severely profoundly deaf in both ears. Maybe the CI would work better for me but I am happy with my HAs so why go thru surgery.

This may be off topic but want to show you something like a before and after of this person who is Exec. Dir of ACDHH (acdhh.org)

before (2003)
Hearing Aids Interviews: Interview with Sherri Collins Winner of OTICON Focus on PEOPLE award, Executive Director for the AZ Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing<br>
she mentioned her experience with her Digital HA and see what she says about the movies.

After (2006)
Learning To Hear The World: I Heard My Own Voice For The First Time In 42 Years | Orato | True Stories, Citizen News, Eyewitness Reports, Free Notices

 

[shel90]

Sorry, no can do. Last time I tried my post was deleted, the site administrators assessed me something called an "infraction" for correcting a person directly and threatened to ban me from the site if I ever do it again. I thought I might try reaching out to Adam privately, but it looks like some of you object to even that.

No objections to PMing to Adam but to call many of us anti-Ci when many members responded with our personal views is what I object to. If someone is spreading false info then that person will end up looking like a fool anyway.

 

[jag]

I realy didn't mean to start anything. I am just trying to gather some info. If I had known this was a touchy subject, it wouldn't have been my first post.

Adam

Adam any time Ci's are mentioned you will get controversy here. It's ok tho.

As for yourself. If you want to look into the CI and see what it can do you could try going to places like the Cochlear website and joining their discussion groups. They have people who have received implants and those looking into getting one.

I had a very good pair of HA's bought a year before I went into testing. My hearing loss was in the severe range (not quite into profound). My implant team said I should have received great benefit from those new digital HA's. Even after having them reprogrammed I still tested around 70% in a nice quiet sound booth. But life isn't a nice quiet sound booth.

I do not regret my decision to go ahead with the implant if my insurance approved (which they did based on my 10 % in noise score). I'm lucky that I no longer have to struggle through life, missing out on much of what goes on around me. I enjoy understanding my 2 yo grandchild, I look forward to understanding the younger 2 as they learn to speak in a few years. I love sitting in a noisy environment like when dining out and being able to follow the conversation.

I would encourage anyone with a severe or profound loss to look into CI's if they want to exist without a lot of stress in a hearing world. If following conversations with lip reading does not stress one then one should continue on with HA's.

HA's make things louder but is louder really better or clearer. In my experience no. Your experience may be different.

 

[jag]

jag,
The simple fact is that hearing aid response is VERY indivdual. Some ambigious canidates might fare just as well with a different kind/ newer model of HA. Saying that, doesn't mean that I'm anti-CI.

so?

It just means that I think that experimenting with different hearing aids might be worth it for some people.

WHy experiment with many different HA's when one already has some newer ones and they are supposedly powerful enough for ones hearing loss....one wastes so much time trying to find something that in the end does not live up to ones expectations.. but if that is 'your' choice don't insist 'I' (or anyone else who has other expectations of what they want) have to live with 'your' choice of trying out aide after aide after aide just on the outside chance that we 'may' get 10% more clarity in speech, ugh....is what I was saying.

If the CIer vs HAers were posting about digital aids, my response to them would be the same.....it's worth it to experiment! That's just my point. ANY audi will tell you that HA response is very very indivdual.

oh yeah. When I went to get my Ha's reprogrammed I also got the hugh lecture on how CI's weren't what I needed, that they worked differently, that they wouldn't do much more then my HA's...blah blah blah....that audi was evidently misguided to. I've had many audi's and even speech therapists who all seem to think that aids are the cats meow..kinda like you seem to think that continual experimentation will give what HA's really can't. You enjoy your limitations given to you based on your loss of hearing , I will continue to enjoy the life the gift of hearing from my implant has given me. (yeah individual)

I mean your own experiance illsutrates that very well. There are severe and profounders who are excellent HA users, while you didn't get that much out of HA. All I'm saying is that I think that for SOME ambigious canidates, it might be worth it to try a different HA. That's not being anti-CI.

My guess is if those severely and profoundly deaf individuals who have good skills with HA's actually got implants, especially todays (trendy stuff with more programming options) technology most would wonder why they waited so long.

And I don't believe I ever said you were anti CI (don't put words in my mouth thank you very much)....just that I was happy you didn't set the standards for determining how ambiguous candidates should qualify. I would not like to have to trail a bunch of different aides just 'in case' I might get 10% more sentence recognition....I'd still miss much in noisy places and I'd still have to lip read, and I don't miss them at all.

 

[rick48]

Sorry, no can do. Last time I tried my post was deleted, the site administrators assessed me something called an "infraction" for correcting a person directly and threatened to ban me from the site if I ever do it again. I thought I might try reaching out to Adam privately, but it looks like some of you object to even that.

Agree, seems to happen frequently to people who support cis on this site.
Rick

 

[deafdyke]

Rick, honestly VERY few people here are anti-CI! Simply b/c we're not totally 100% gung ho about CIs, you call US anti CI? You should have been at DumbNotes a few years ago. THAT was EXTREME. Things have REALLY mellowed out a lot!
jag, so where do you draw the line?

 

[R2D2]

I agree with you. I am going to experiment with digital hearing aids and I am sure they would work better than the regular ones. If they dont then I will stick with the ones I have no. I dont need a CI despite being severely profoundly deaf in both ears. Maybe the CI would work better for me but I am happy with my HAs so why go thru surgery.

I don't think this is what DD is getting at. She thinks that some people at borderline hearing losses who get CIs would do just as well with HAs. Whereas you are talking about a personal preference at a profound loss of being happy with no surgery and HAs even though there is a good chance you'd hear better with CIs.

I don't think you need to explain or justify your decision not to get a CI. It's not like we CIers believe that every single adult with a profound loss should get a CI. We understand that everyone is different, has different lifestyles, priorities etc.

 

[Boult]

I don't think this is what DD is getting at. She thinks that some people at borderline hearing losses who get CIs would do just as well with HAs. Whereas you are talking about a personal preference at a profound loss of being happy with no surgery and HAs even though there is a good chance you'd hear better with CIs.

I don't think you need to explain or justify your decision not to get a CI. It's not like we CIers believe that every single adult with a profound loss should get a CI. We understand that everyone is different, has different lifestyles, priorities etc.

Yeah, agreed +1 good post.